Chuncheon Food

I am surprised by how little chicken is consumed in Korea. The meat of choice is pork. Chuncheon is known for a particular chicken dish called "닭갈비" (dakgalbi). You go into a restaurant that specializes in this dish and sit down at a table with a grill in the center. They bring out a heaping plate of marinated chicken, cabbage, rice noodles, and other greens. They plop this down on the grill, fire it up, then cook it right there. When it's done, you place a couple pieces on a piece of lettuce, add a little salty red paste, then fold it up and enjoy. The thing is, like most food in Korea, this chicken is fiery hot. I mean, if you go to the right place, your mouth feels like it's going to explode. It burns so good. Cost ~$6-7 per person.

Another Chuncheon specialty is a dessert called "팥빙수" (patbingsu). This you find anywhere is Korea, but I'm told it is best here at a place called Icy Cool in particular. You go to Icy Cool with your friends and order a big bowl for (fill in the blank) people. They come out with a glorious concoction of deliciousness. The bowl has shaved ice at the bottom, on top of which are pieces of fruit (banana, kiwi, watermelon, nectarine, pineapple), red bean, rice cakes, and frozen yogurt. [The secret to Chuncheon patbinsu is the addition of a little condensed milk and sugar.] Everyone grabs a spoon and mashes the contents together. Dig in! Yes, it's a communal bowl. Korean culture is very supportive of communalism. It'd be a strange sight to see one person eating patbingsu alone. Ok, some people may think this dessert doesn't sound appetizing. You're wrong. It is one of my favorite Korean inventions. What makes it even more special is that Icy Cool has these awesome swings to sit on. So, not only are you consuming the definition of "delicious," but you get to do it with friends...on swings. And yes, we eat the entire bowl. Cost ~$2-2.50.